OIL & GAS INDUSTRY — Schlumberger Launches Autonomous Directional Drilling

Ruggedized drill head for directional drilling

From an Article by Andreas Exarheas, Rigzone News, August 18, 2021

The new technology includes solutions to steer autonomously through any section of the wellbore, according to Schlumberger, which outlined that the system leverages an intelligent and dynamic downhole automated control system that instantly interprets and acts on data. ADD, which Schlumberger describes as the future of drilling, is said to perform corrections immediately and results in greater overall directional drilling efficiency, according to the company.

Current ADD applications include auto-vertical, auto-tangent and auto-curve, Schlumberger highlighted. The system has already been used by an unnamed operator in the Middle East and an unnamed operator in the Permian Basin, Schlumberger revealed.

“Autonomous Directional Drilling is a significant leap forward for the industry digital transformation, helping our customers achieve new levels of well construction efficiency, consistency and sustainability,” Jesus Lamas, the president of well construction at Schlumberger, said in a company statement.

“Our autonomous vision continues to evolve, with the latest technological innovations enabling a self-steering bottomhole assembly capable of drilling through any well section,” he added in the statement.

“As one of the four pillars of Autonomous Directional Drilling, downhole automation capabilities drive steering adjustments as conditions are encountered to significantly increase rates of penetration and improve borehole quality, which leads to greater production potential and emissions reduction,” the Schlumberger representative went on to say.

In June, Schlumberger announced a commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Guided by climate science, the company said it had spent 18 months conducting extensive analysis and working with experts to produce a decarbonization plan. The plan has minimal reliance on offsets and is focused on reducing Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions across the oil and gas value chain.

Schlumberger has a dedicated New Energy division, which is said to explore new avenues of growth by leveraging Schlumberger’s intellectual and business capital in emerging new energy markets, with a focus on low-carbon and carbon-neutral energy technologies.

Schlumberger describes itself as a technology company that partners with customers to access energy. The company employs 82,000 people representing 170 nationalities, according to its website.

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NOTE — Drilling and Fracking are just two components of Oil & Gas Industry activities. All components have been evolving to involve technological advances. Electronic systems for process instrumentation and control make possible greater productivity. So, there results more product and more wastes. Whether the environmental controls can advance sufficiently to keep pace, has not been demonstrated. DGN